August27, 2017

Washington, D.C. – House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) made the following statement about the award of four contracts for development of the Long Range Standoff weapon (LRSO), a nuclear cruise missile, and the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), an intercontinental ballistic missile:

“This week, the Air Force awarded four contracts worth nearly $2.5 billion to begin developing two new nuclear weapons. Yet this administration has not even completed its Nuclear Posture Review.

"We are rushing on autopilot to fund these programs. At a time when we face threats like those emanating from North Korea, we have serious unmet needs for theater missile defenses that work, cutting-edge cyber capabilities, and conventional weapons that will respond directly to the military challenges we are facing right now.

"Moreover, we have still done nothing to resolve the budget caps that are threatening to impose stark trade-offs in our priorities. We should not be doubling down on these legacy nuclear modernization plans—plans that could undermine strategic stability and fuel another arms race—without first deciding which Pentagon programs would be most effective in keeping us safe."